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> 1) Does a dialogue box, window or message box appear or open?
Yes. ;-)
> 2) What is the button next to the "Look in" box, for example, called?
> Is it a toolbar button although there is no "toolbar" or is
> it a tool button?
Unless you're writing about interface design, don't tell the reader what type of button a button is. This is annoyingly arcane, useless, geeky trivia that clutters up your document.
> There a different types of this button, e.g. a button with a
> calendar. When you click on it a calendar "opens
> (appears)where you can select a date.
> The Microsoft Manual of Style is not very helpful here (I
> also doubt that Microsoft's recommendations should be
> followed strictly).
In the case you cite, "Click the calendar button and select a date" pretty much says everything you need to say. For a less obvious button, a tooltip should appear when you hover the mouse over it. You can use that as the name.
That said, name things only when necessary. "Look in" is part of the standard Windows File Open dialog. If that's what you're talking about, you don't need to name anything unless your audience includes people who've never held a mouse before and don't know what a directory structure is. Just tell the reader where to go, path-wise, and what file to open.
Nobody cares what the vertical bar between two panes of a window is called. Nobody cares whether they need to pick from a scroll list box, drop-down list box, or combo box. Your readers want to get something done, and lengthy descriptions of the minutia making up the interface only get in the way.
Tell them what they need to know to complete the task. "From the Tools menu, select Options. In the Options dialog box, click the Save tab. Clear the Allow Fast Saves check box and click OK."
"It's my opinion, and it's very true."
Richard
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Richard G. Combs
Senior Technical Writer
Polycom, Inc.
richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom
303-223-5111
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rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom
303-777-0436
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